Take on opposition with the ball in hand
Coach to coach
Why did you get into coaching and how did you arrive at your current position?
I did a lot of community work, coaching at schools and clubs while I was a professional player. I really enjoyed it and knew that I would like to make a career of it. To the later end of my playing career I worked through my coaching badges and during my most recent RFU level 4 I was required to be involved in a club capacity, and Hinckley was the nearest to me that I looked to work at.
What is your profession outside of coaching rugby?
I am a PE teacher.
What are your roles and responsibilities as head coach?
We are very fortunate at Hinckley to have a number of senior teams and with that we have a number of coaches. My responsibilities are to overlook the coaching staff, plan the sessions, prepare the 1st XV and be part of the delivery on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
How would you describe your style of coaching?
My philosophy ‘is to take on the opposition with ball in hand’. My style of coaching would be very much about setting high expectations, honesty and hard work. In order to be a good coach I feel you need a varying style, authoritative when required but also have the ability to let the players make their own decisions.
What do you find the most challenging aspects of coaching?
When you have to tell someone they are dropped from the match day squad. Also dealing with players who don’t seem to be 100 per cent committed.
Has anyone been an adviser/mentor/inspiration on your coaching journey and how has that helped?
My father coached at club, regional and international level and I’ve always looked up to him, when I was playing and now as a coach. His advice has inspired me to push hard and to enjoy coaching whoever is in front of me regardless of their ability.
So far what would you count as your most significant coaching achievement and why?
Achieving my Level 4 is something I’m proud of. It felt like doing a degree all over again in my early 40s.
A regular observation is that current young adult rugby players are not as committed or resilient as previous players. What is your experience and how do you potentially address this situation?
I work with junior and senior players and I have no doubt that there are enough players out there who love the game, but at the same time lots of players who could play are not interested or, more common of late, losing interest once they come out of colts. There’s not many sports out there where a sport can have such an impact on a player like rugby does. The team ethic, history and culture that its associated with it and the social and community side of things.
At Hinckley we have a U23s team which gives the players the stepping stone they require before senior rugby, some need it and some obviously jump into senior rugby without any thought. It’s about building confidence in the players and more importantly ensuring that they continue to enjoy the game.
How do you go about continuing to develop your own coaching skills and those who work with you? Is there more the RFU could do in this area?
To be honest it’s difficult. Working full time plus the time you put into the club, finding that time to get some CPD completed is not easy. I’m very fortunate in that I can call on some old team-mates who are now coaching at a high level. I can pick their brains over a coffee and visit their training grounds, where you can learn a lot from just observing.
From a coaching perspective is there anything about the structure of the season you would like to see changed?
In our league, we currently have to travel to Devon, Cornwall and Somerset at a huge cost to the club. The RFU need to look into this and see how they can ease the financial burden on clubs.
What two laws or aspects of the game would you change to make it a better experience for yourself or your players?
The game is in a good place. For the sake of the fans, maybe less kicking would be a law that we could look at. Can only kick in certain areas?
What advice would you give to anyone considering or just starting to get involved in coaching rugby?
Rugby is a great sport and has given me so much in life. Coaching enables you to stay in the game and give something back that you learnt from your playing days and from various coaches that coached you in your career.
It’s not easy and you have to put the work in. You have so many ups and downs, but at the end of the day you are in an environment that you love and want to be part of.
